Sheet-handling device



1954 R. F. LESCALLETTE SHEET-HANDLING DEVICE Filed Feb. 26, 1955 3Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR RICHARD F. LESCALLETTE M+ IP ATTORNEY 06L 1954R. F- LESCALLETTE 2,692,670

SHEET-HANDLING DEVICE Filed Feb. 26, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORRICHARD F. LESCALLETTE ATTORNEY Oct. 26, 1954 Filed Feb. 26, 1953 R. F-LESCALLETTE SHEET-HANDLING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR RKZHARD F.LESCALLETTE ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 26, 1 954 orrics SHEET-HANDLINGDEVICE Application February 26, 1953, Serial No. 338,957

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for transferring sheets and turningthem through 130. The device is particularly useful in the delivery oflightweight sheets of relatively large size, such as sheets of corkcomposition about 26 X 51" x or less in thickness which are deliveredfrom a sanding machine which smooths one side of the sheet, are turnedover, and are then fed to a second sanding machine which smooths theopposite side of the sheet.

Conventional wicket or so-called porcupine type sheet turning devicesuch as are used in handling sheets of steel are not suitable forturning lightweight sheets of cork composition or the like because thesheets fall by gravity as the wicket is rotated and as the sheetapproaches a position overlying the delivery belts. This results inmisalignment of the sheets on the wickets consequent misalignment on thedelivery belts.

When the wicket is moved at relatively high speed, there is also atendency for the sheets to bounce upon falling into engagement with thebelts, also resulting in improper lateral alignment.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device which willmechanically engage a sheet while supported in an inclined position andat rest and gently move it through a vertical position and into anopposite inclined position for subsequent delivery to a take-awayconveyor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a turnover device of thewicket or porcupine type with a combined sheet-positioning arrangementwhich will be effective for imparting a controlled movement to a sheetwhile the same is fully supported by the wicket arrangement.

Other objects of the invention will be clear from the description of anembodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure l is a diagrammatic side elevational view of the device of thepresent invention;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic top plan view of the device of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detailed view, partially broken away and partially insection, illustrating the sheet-turning mechanism and the controlequipment therefor, with the driving arrangement for thesheet-positioning unit removed; and

Figure 4 is a detailed bottom plan View of the sheet-turning andsheet-positioning unit.

The device comprises a continuously operating conveyor 2 powered by adrive 3 (Figure l). The conveyor is preferably in the form of a muturninarms by an air cylinder El (Figures 3 and 4) which actuates a rack andpinion drive Ill connected to shaft 6. This drive includes rack I i,attached to piston rod I 2 of air cylinder 9'. A gear segment 13 ismounted on shaft 6 but is free to revolve thereabout upon motion of therack II. Attached to the segment I3 is a pawl plate I l. A pawl pin I5is threaded into plate M and receives a ratchet pawl l6 which isarranged to actuate a ratchet H which is keyed to shaft 6. A coil springl8 and a set collar 19 urge the ratchet pawl It into engagement with theratchet H. The ratchet I l, as shown in Figure 3, is arranged to imparta clockwise rotation to shaft 6 upon each motion of the piston rod I 2to left as viewed in Figure 3, the piston rod in that view being shownin fully extended position.

As mentioned above, the sheet-positioning arms I are intermittentlymoved during the period when the sheet-turning arms 5 are at rest. Thisis conveniently accomplished by a ratchet arrangement actuated uponmovement of the rack Ii toward the right as viewed in Figure 3. Thisarrangement is shown in Figure 4. It includes a pawl pin 2c threadedinto pawl plate I4 previously described. A ratchet pawl 21 is mounted onpin 20 and engages a ratchet 22 which is press fitted onto a hub 23which rotates freely on shaft 6. The hub 23 is counterbored at 24 to fitover the hub of ratchet ll. Hub 23 has a sprocket 25 fastened to it byscrews 2B.v A limiting collar 21 is secured to shaft 6 and positions thehub 23 and the members carried by it against axial displac ment whilepermitting free rotation of the hub about the shaft 6. to impart acounterclockwise rotary motion to sprocket 25 and through a chain 28(Figure l) and sprocket 28A connected to shaft 8 a counterclockwiserotary motion to sheet-positioning arms I. This motion is effected uponmovement of the piston rod I2 toward the right, as viewed in Figure 3,which imparts a counterclockwise rotary motion to gear segment I3 andpawl plate I 4, bringing pawl 2| into operation against ratchet 22 whilepawl I6 is returning overratchet H,

The ratchet 22 is arranged preparatory to the indexing of thesheet-turning arms upon reverse movement of the piston rod [2.

Operation of air cylinder 9 which imparts intermittent motion to boththe sheet-turning arms and the sheet-positioning arms as mentioned aboveis controlled in the following manner, reference being made to Figure 3.Air for cylinder 9 is supplied from a source S through a filter 29, apressure regulator 30, and an oiler 3|. A solenoid valve 32 controls thesupply of air to opposite ends of air cylinder 9 through conduits 33 and34, interposed in which are speed control valves 35 and 36,respectively, which accurately control the speed of motion of the pistonof the air cylinder 9 and the associated rack and pinion drive, thusproperly to time the delivery of a sheet by the turnover arms.

The solenoid valve 32 is electrically controlled by a pair of switches31 and 38 connected to a source of current 39. Switch 3'! is normallyopen and has a control arm 40 which normally lies above the path of anoncoming sheet ll, diagrammatically shown in Figure 3 being moved in thedirection of the arrow by the sheet conveyor belts 4. Upon engagement ofsheet 4| with switch control arm 40, switch 31 is closed and the circuitfor solenoid valve 32 is completed from source 39, and air is suppliedthrough line 34 and speed control valve 36 to pull the piston rod fromthe solid-line position shown in Figure 3 to the dotted-line position.The rack I I lies in engagement with an actuating roller arm 32 ofnormally closed switch 38 when in the full-line position shown in Figure3, and in such position switch 38 is open. Thus when the rack moves toleft upon closing of switch 31, it is disengaged from arm 42 and switch38 moves to its normally closed position. Upon completion of movement ofthe piston rod [2 to the dotted-line position which effects a one-sixthrevolution of the sheetturning arms through the ratchet l'l secured toshaft 6, solenoid valve 32 which is actuated by momentary contact andthen completes its cycle of operation will instantly reverse (becauseswitch 38 has moved to its normally closed position) and air flowsthrough line 33 and speed control valve 35, returning the piston of aircylinder. 9 to its normally solid-line position where rack H will engageactuating roller arm 42 of switch 38, opening the same. This reversemotion of the piston rod i2 effects a one-half revolution of thesheet-positioning arms I through the ratchet 22 and the chain andsprocket drive associated therewith. The parts remain in this positionuntil the next oncoming sheet engages control arm 40, whereupon thecycle is repeated.

It will be noted by reference to Figure 1. that the sheet 43 disposed inthe sheet-turning device is in a slightly inclined position, as shown insolid line, and at rest on one set of the arms 5 when it is gentlyengaged by one pair of the sheet-positioning arms I and moved to thedottedline position. There it is positioned in an inclined position onthe next advance set of arms 5 and serves to hold the sheet in aposition where it will come into contact with the belts 4 upon the nextcycl of operation of the device substantially instantaneously throughoutits full length to avoid any slippage between the belts and sheet whichmight result in improper positioning of the sheet or timing of thedelivery of the sheet from the machine to the next fabricatingoperation.

I claim:

1. A sheet-handling device comprising a rotatable wicket having radiallyspaced sheet-turning arms for the reception of sheets therebetween;means for intermittently moving said wicket about its axis to bring saidspaced sheet-turning arms into predetermined at-rest positions;sheet-positioning means movable through a path intersecting a sheetdisposed on said sheet-turning arms to move said sheet from an inclinedatrest position, through a vertical position, and into a reverseinclined position; and means for intermittently moving saidsheet-positioning means in timed relationship with the intermittentmotion of said wicket about its axis.

2. A sheet-handling device comprising a conveyor; a wicket including apair of radially spaced sheet supports movable from a position where oneof said supports is substantially parallel to the path of travel of saidconveyor to receive a sheet delivered by said conveyor, through avertical position, and into a position where the other of said supportsis parallel to said conveyor for delivery of said sheet to said conveyorin an inverted position; means for rotating said wicket;sheet-positioning means movable through a path intersecting a sheetdisposed on one of said sheet supports in an inclined position andengageable with said sheet to move the same through a vertical positionand to an inverted inclined position on the other of said supports; andmeans for moving said sheet-positioning means to engage said sheet forinverting the same while in an inclined position.

3. A sheet-handling device comprising a wicket having radially spacedsheet-turning arms for the reception of sheets therebetween, means forrotating said wicket about its axis with a stepwise motion,sheet-positioning means including an arm engageable with an articledisposed in said wicket, and means for intermittently moving saidsheet-positioning arm in timed relationship to the stepwise movement ofsaid wicket to bring said sheet-positioning arm into engagement with anarticle disposed in said wicket in an inclined position to invert thesame while disposed in an inclined position and supported by saidwicket.

4. In a sheet-handing device including a 1'0- tatable wicket and arotatable sheet-positioning device engageable with a sheet disposedwithin the wicket, the combination of means for rotating said wicket andsaid sheet-positioning means in timed relationship comprising a ratchetfor rotating said wicket and a ratchet for rotating saidsheet-positioning means; a gear rack; a gear segment cooperating withsaid rack and having its axis coincident with the axis of said ratchets;a pawl plate connected to said gear segment and movable therewith; and apair of pawls carried by said pawl plate and engageable with saidratchets to impart motion thereto upon rotation of said gear segmenteffected through motion of said gear rack, one of said ratchets being ofright-hand formation and one of left-hand formation, whereby motion isimparted to one of said ratchets upon motion of said gear rack in onedirection and motion is imparted to the other of said ratchets uponmotion of said gear rack in the opposite direction.

5. In a sheet-handling device as recited in claim 4, the combination ofa fluid pressure cylinder for actuating said gear rack and meansactuated upon movement of a sheet to be turned into a predeterminedposition for controlling the operation of said cylinder to move saidgear rack.

6. A sheet-handling device comprising a rotatable wicket having radiallyspaced sheet-turning arms for the reception of sheets therebetween;means for intermittently moving said wicket about its axis to bring saidspaced sheet-turning arms into predetermined at-rest positions; aconveyor for delivering sheets sequentially to said rotatable wicketbetween the arms thereof; rotatable sheet-positioning means movablethrough a path intersecting a sheet disposed on said sheetturning armsof said wicket to move said sheet from an inclined at-rest position,through a vertical position, and into a reverse inclined position; andmeans for intermittently moving said sheet-positioning means in timedrelationship with the intermittent motion of said wicket about its axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,567,153 Kelly Dec. 29, 1925 1,966,268 Stefien July 10, 19342,501,224 Kadell Mar. 21, 1950

